Safety belt



March 17, 1931. P 'J WARREN 1,796,775

SAFETY BELT Filed March 21. 1930 Patented Mar. 17, 1931 UNITED STATESPETER J. WARREN, 0F BROOKLYN, NEW YORK SAFETY BELT Application filedMarch 21, 1930. Serial No. 437,668.

This invention relates to improvements in safety belts, the principalobject of the invention being to provide a belt of this character whichupon being subjected to a predetermined strain will come apart torelease itself from the body of the wearer.

A further object of the invention is to provide a safety device forconnecting the parts of a belt together, which device will maintain thebelt intact under ordinary strain, but which when subjected to a strainexceeding a predetermined limit will permit the parts of the belt tobecomeseparated.

With the foregoing and other objects in view which will appear as thedescription proceeds, the invention consists in the novel features ofconstruction and combination of parts which Will be more fully describedhereinafter and particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the drawing accompanying this specification,

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a belt e1nbodying the features of thepresent inven tion.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the parts of the improved safety deviceshowing the same separated and broken away from the belt; and

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary sectional elevation of one of said members.

Belts of the type commonly known as Sam Browne belts have been foundvery satisfactory for the purposes of police and other officers, becausethey afford a convenient and desirable means of carrying necessaryequipment. The use of such belts, however, has been accompanied by aserious disadvantage, in that it has occasionally happened that anofficer has been attacked from behind, his assailant finding it acomparatively easy matter to prevent him from turning around by merelytaking a firm grip on the back portion of the belt. It has happened thatan oflicer has lost his life, in this way, because of his inability toshake himself loose from his assailants grasp. The object, therefore, ofthe present invention is to overcome this disadvantage by providing a 59belt by means of which an officer can readily free himselffrom such adisadvantageous position. yy

The belt shown hereinis in the form of what is commonly known as a SamBrowne. belt and the waist portion thereof is made up of three parts, 1,2 and 3 respectively. The portion 1 is secured at one end to the bar ofthe buckle 1 in the usual manner, while the part 2 is provided with perforations extending over a portion of its length for engagement with thehook of said buckle. Each of said portions 1 and 2 carries at its endremote from the buckle one member of the improved safety device to behereinafter described, while the portion 3 of the belt carries at itsopposite ends the cooperating members of said safety device. Theshoulder strap of the belt is separated about midway of its length intotwo portions 5 and 6, respectively, said portions being each connectedat one end by means of the usual rings 7 and 8 to the belt portions 1and 3, respectively, said strap portions each carrying at its oppositeend a cooperating member of the improved safety device.

The safety device comprises a pair of sheet metal plates 9 and 10,respectively, each bent to form a pair of leaves adapted to receivebetween them an end of one of the belt portions, said leaves beingsecured to their respective belt portions by means of rivets 11. Theportion of the member 10 which connects its leaves is cut away centrallythereof to form a recess 12 while the corresponding portion of themember 9 is cut away adjacent its opposite ends so as to leave aprojecting male portion 13 adapted to it within the recess 12 after themanner of a hinge. projecting portion 13 thus forms between it and theend of the belt portion to which it is secured a housing in which ismounted a spiral spring 14 under tension, the opposite ends of saidspring bearing against a pair of balls 15 mounted in the ends of thehousing, the metal of the housing wall being turned over inwardlysufficiently to retain said balls therein in slight projecting position.

It is believed that the operation of the device will be clear from theforegoing. The

The

ends of thebelt portion carrying cooperating members 9 and 10 arebrought together and the male portion 13 inserted into the recess 12,some pressure being exerted to cause the edges of the recess to forcethe balls inward against the tension of the spring. When the balls havepassed said edges, the tension of the spring will force them outward sothat they will act in the nature of a pintle and retain the partstogether under all normal strain to which the belt may be subjected-inuse. However, should an attempt be made to detain the wearer by takinghold of the belt at any portion thereof, the abnormal pressure whichwould naturally be exerted either by the wearer in an effort to freehimself, or by an assailant to detain him would result in a separationof the parts of the safety device, thus permitting thebelt to come apartand release the wearer.

Having thus described my invention, what Iclaimis: V a g Y 1. A safetybelt comprising a plurality of waist engaging portions and meansnormally securing said portions together and automaticallyseparableunder a predetermined force "to cause separation of said beltportions.

2. A safety belt comprising a. plurality of waist engaging portions, ashoulder strap secured ,atits opposite ends to said waist engagingportions, said shoulder strap being formed of separable portions, andmeans respectively connecting the waist engaging portions" and shoulderstrap-portions and automatically separable under abnormal force to causeseparation of said waist portions and shoulder strap portions.

-In testimony whereof I have signed my name 'to'this specification.

PETER J. WARREN.

